NEWS

The European Parliament and the Council of the European Union have tightened the Schengen Borders Code regulations on external border crossings. Effective 7 April, all persons crossing an external border will undergo thorough checks.

The change of Schengen Borders Code regulations imposes an obligation on all EU Member States to carry out thorough checks of every person who enters or leaves the Schengen area. The Schengen Borders Code was amended in response to the terrorist threat that continues to exist in Europe.

Until now, persons who enjoyed the right to free movement pursuant to EU law, i.e. Polish citizens, among others, underwent the so-called minimum check. Starting Friday, 7 April, everyone who crosses an external border at any of the border crossings, both road, sea and airport crossing points, will be subject to thorough checks. The tightened regulations mean that, in addition to identity and citizenship checks run on the person crossing a Schengen border as well as verification of the authenticity and validity of a travel document authorising its holder to cross the border, every traveller will be checked in domestic and European databases to see that he or she is not considered a threat to public policy, internal security, public health or international relations of any of the EU Member States.

The tightened regulations will affect the duration of border checks at border crossing points in Poland (in the case of borders with non-Schengen countries) and can make them last longer. In order to reduce the negative consequences of the new regulations, the situation will be monitored on an ongoing basis by the Polish Border Guard and adequate measures will be taken depending on the intensity of border traffic and the travellers’ waiting time for border checks.